Mahrem
Mahrem — The Encounter
The Aksumite War-God, Crowned in Severed Skulls · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Mahrem
Among the highland peoples of old Aksum, Mahrem was the dread lord of war to whom kings swore before they marched, calling themselves his sons that his strength might pass into their spears. He demanded no temple of stone but a field of slaughter, and the offerings he favored most were the skulls of the defeated, planted on poles so the victor's banner might fly above the vanquished line. Where his name was cried the timid grew bold and the bold grew terrible, for the god lent no mercy, only the certainty of the kill. Scribes equated him with the burning star of battle that rises before the dawn host, and said that no warrior who carried his blessing could be made to flee. To break an oath sworn in his name was to invite the war-god himself onto the field, where he walked as a man four cubits tall, his fists the weight of falling towers.
Run Mahrem in Sixty Seconds
- Hold for the boss slot Mahrem is solo-capable at Tier 3 thanks to legendary actions and Relentless; you do not need other monsters, though Sahel makes him a fight to remember.
- Open big Stride into the squishiest target, drop War Cry to frighten the back line, then lead the next turn with Sundering Stomp on the cluster.
- Kill-priority feeds him Always swing legendary Crushing Fists at the lowest-HP enemy; a kill triggers Crowned in Skulls for 10 temp HP and an advantage attack, snowballing fast.
- When bloodied, lean on Relentless He drops to 1 HP instead of dying the first time he'd fall, so do not let players assume the last big hit ends it; the war cry is your cue to escalate.
- Three ways to run him As a raw brute (ignore the aura, just punch), as a warlord (keep allies in his 20-ft. aura for the rider damage and fear immunity), or as a duel (use God's Wrath to make stepping up to him costly).
Mahrem
Large celestial, lawful neutral
CR 11 · 7,200 XP · GUIDELINEWar-God's Aura. Each ally within 20 feet of Mahrem has advantage on saving throws against being frightened and deals an extra 4 (1d8) damage with its first weapon attack on each of its turns. Mahrem's own attacks ignore resistance to bludgeoning and slashing damage.
Crowned in Skulls. When a creature Mahrem can see is reduced to 0 hit points within 30 feet of him, Mahrem gains 10 temporary hit points and his next attack before the end of his next turn is made with advantage.
Relentless (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). If damage reduces Mahrem to 0 hit points, he instead drops to 1 hit point and bellows a war cry.
Actions
Multiattack. Mahrem makes three Crushing Fist attacks. He can replace one with Sundering Stomp if it is available.
Crushing Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) bludgeoning damage, and if the target is Large or smaller it must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Sundering Stomp (Recharge 5-6). Mahrem slams the earth. Each creature within 15 feet must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 36 (8d8) bludgeoning damage and falling prone on a failed save, or half as much damage and remaining standing on a success.
Bonus Actions & Reactions
God's Wrath (Reaction). When a creature Mahrem can see within 10 feet hits him with a melee attack, he makes one Crushing Fist attack against that creature.
Legendary Actions (3/Round)
Stride. Mahrem moves up to his speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Crushing Fist. Mahrem makes one Crushing Fist attack.
War Cry (Costs 2 Actions). Mahrem roars. Each enemy within 30 feet must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of its next turn. Each ally within 30 feet gains 10 temporary hit points.
A mountainous bare-chested warrior caught mid-lunge, fists wrapped in studded gold, his topknot streaming and his teeth bared in a battle-snarl. Behind him a blood-red banner snaps over poles strung with the skulls of the kings he has broken.
Mahrem, Bound
Companion · acts on your initiative
Bound · GUIDELINEBanner of the War-God (signature). Allies within 15 feet of Mahrem have advantage on saving throws against being frightened. While he holds the skull-banner aloft, allies that start their turn within 15 feet gain 5 temporary hit points.
Actions
Banner-Spear. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) piercing damage.
Reactions
Plant the Standard. When an ally within 15 feet would be reduced to 0 hit points, Mahrem drives the banner into the earth; that ally drops to 1 hit point instead. Once used, he cannot use this reaction again until he finishes a short rest.
The oath-sworn champion who carries Mahrem's skull-strung standard into the front rank, dying before he lets it fall.
Guideline numbers — formula-tuned and read from the miniature's design, not yet table-proven. Tell us how it ran in the comments.
How It Fights — by Tier
Same creature, scaled threat. The traits never change; only the numbers move.
Open by lunging into the tightest knot of melee and using Sundering Stomp to scatter and prone them. Kill-priority is whoever just dropped an ally, since Crowned in Skulls feeds Mahrem advantage. At this tier run him as a terrifying mini-boss; do not also field Sahel or the party will wipe.
Lead with War Cry to frighten the back line, then close and triple-attack the most exposed frontliner. Use God's Wrath to punish anyone who steps up to trade blows. Pair him with a healer or skirmisher and let Mahrem soak the party while they whittle squishier threats.
He is the centerpiece: open by Striding into the casters, War Cry to lock down their turn, then Sundering Stomp the cluster. Spend legendary actions on Crushing Fist against the lowest-HP target so a kill triggers Crowned in Skulls and snowballs his temp HP. Add Sahel to deny the party's first big nova and the fight becomes a true climax.
Put Mahrem on the table
Download the presupported STL and run the fight tonight — the model, and the encounter that comes with it.
Get the STL on MyMiniFactory →Clay Cyanide Companion Rules v1
How a bound creature acts
- A companion acts on its owner's initiative, immediately after the owner.
- It uses the Companion block above — roughly ×0.6 HP and damage, no recharge abilities, and at most one reaction trait.
- It moves freely; it takes its Action only while its owner is conscious.
- At 0 HP a companion is broken, not dead — restored on a long rest unless your table rules otherwise.
Original Clay Cyanide material © Clay Cyanide LLC — explicitly not the non-SRD official sidekick rules.
Questions, Asked at the Table
What CR is Mahrem?
His native sheet is CR 11 (7,200 XP) for an 11th-15th level party. Because he is solo-capable with legendary actions, his numbers sit one band below a non-solo Tier 3 add-on so he plays up against a full party. Scale him down using the Tier 1 (CR ~2) or Tier 2 (CR ~6) lines for lower-level groups.
Can Mahrem be a companion or ally?
As a war-god he works best as an adversary or a terrifying patron rather than a party member. If you need an allied version, field Sahel the Standard-Bearer instead, or run Mahrem as a temporary blessing-granting NPC whose War-God's Aura buffs the party for a single battle.
Why is Mahrem a celestial and not a fiend?
He is a worshipped god of war from Aksumite and highland Ethiopian religion, equated with the morning star of battle, so his SRD type is celestial despite his brutal, skull-crowned aesthetic. His lawful neutral alignment reflects a deity of oaths and slaughter rather than evil for its own sake.
Tell Us How It Ran
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 ("SRD 5.1") by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
Clay Cyanide Miniatures is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC. This content is compatible with the fifth edition of the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game. Companion rules, lore, names, and original mechanics © Clay Cyanide LLC.
Technical Specifications
32mm, 75mm
STL, Pre-supported STL
Standard or ABS-like resin, 0.05mm layer height
Yes — ready to print, optimized supports included
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